"Ray Lewis' face lit up when he gingerly walked into the Port Covington Wal-Mart on Tuesday, seconds after his entrance ignited a high-pitched roar from more than 200 kids who showed up for his annual holiday charity gift-giving event.

The Ravens' All-Pro middle linebacker slapped hands, posed for a few pictures, then got behind a microphone and told the group of children it was their love and support that has helped him stay positive and allowed him to maintain perspective during a frustrating stretch of the season during which he has missed four games with a foot injury.

"Your faces are the ones that keep me going," Lewis said, "even when I'm going through what I'm going through. I've heard the questions a billion times: 'How is your toe? When are you going to play again?' And all of that is awesome. But through my injury, in the time that I have been going through what I've been going through, the people that I've met, the people that I can make smile even through my pain ... there is no greater reward than that.""